The kind that settles in the bones and guides the hearts of those willing to listen and surrender to its ancient wisdom.

True Inklings; Diary of a Hard-Headed Woman is a blend of dark, spicy gumbo, sweet potato pie, and homemade wine. A mixture of the best of two worlds––the hypnotic appeal of living way down yonder in New Orleans and the joie-de-vivre of Southwest Louisiana.

Both cultures, though mutually exclusive, afforded me the means to put off converting my inner maiden into the completion of womanhood. While suffering the consequences, I also enjoyed a ride I could never have imagined.

No matter how often it happened, I got a jolt in the pit of my stomach, The calls came about 6:00 in the morning, so I fumbled and almost dropped the phone as I lifted myself to my elbow. "Hello."

"Connie, sorry to wake you," the voice on the other end said. With my eyes closed, I shook my head and furrowed my brow trying to focus.

"Good morning, Barbra. Another one?"

"Yes, a fifteen-year-old boy from Booker T." My gut lurched and my chest pulsed. Falling back on my pillow, I rested the receiver on my shoulder and listened.

"This time, though, the shooting occurred on the grounds."

Tossing the sheets back, I forced myself to sit up, not sure I caught what she said. "The shooter came on campus?"

"Yes, at lunchtime."

Until that time, the killings took place in the late afternoon, evening hours, or on weekends, but never on school property. Like many American cities in the early 1990's, shootings took place on a regular-basis. At this time, however, New Orleans held the highest per capita murder rate in the country. The staff discovered the reason for a student's absence--death--via terse, matter-of-fact article in The Times Picayune.

Dr Poesy's voice roused me from my reverie. "The Social Work Department committed to assist with helping people process what happened. Principal Vincent scheduled a meeting in the library where he'll inform volunteers on the details of the incident to make sure we get the facts straight. Will you help?"